LIHTC developments endeavor to provide safe and supportive environments for all residents, including those with support needs, through resident services, proactive safety measures, and adherence to federal fair housing guidelines. All residents, regardless of background, deserve a safe, affordable, inclusive home. By upholding fair housing principles, LIHTC developments contribute to diverse and inclusive communities, prioritizing resident safety and community diversity as fundamental commitments. Developers of LIHTC projects do not need to choose between LIHTC funding and resident safety - this article will show you how both can be achieved with proper planning.

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program is the nation’s primary vehicle for financing affordable housing. LIHTC, however, is failing to meet the growing demand for accessible housing. Through this program, each state develops their own housing priorities through a Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) – guidelines that help state housing agencies determine how they allocate tax credits across their affordable housing infrastructure. The Kelsey’s research reveals that accessibility is not considered a priority for 19 states, and only 22 states require developers to construct any accessible units. Advocates can help influence QAPs by submitting public comments to housing finance agencies and educating policymakers on the importance of requiring accessible design in all LIHTC properties.

The purpose of this Learn Center resource is to give you tangible tools to make the most of the time you have with participants in your inclusive community workshops. We’ll get into the details and best practices of running community meetings, including sample agendas and the types of activities you can include in your meetings.

Affordable housing developers must surmount an array of hurdles to bring their projects to fruition, including land use politics, funding shortfalls, rising construction costs, and layers of funding requirements. The call to also make affordable housing accessible and inclusive to people with disabilities strikes some as one leap too many. But contrary to assumptions, building with disability-forward design principles in mind makes developments more appealing to a broader range of residents, extends the usefulness of a space, and can attract new funding partners and supporters.

The Kelsey Ayer Station in San Jose is the first project of its kind developed and The Kelsey’s inaugural housing development. We’re committed to open-sourcing every detail of this project from financing details, key steps, to things we would have approached differently. This article outlines the timeline, funding, partnerships, and key learnings from the development process to guide others undertaking similar work.

Whether a developer has an existing affordable housing project or is conceptualizing their next, designing a resident-centered experience that considers the whole person is becoming increasingly important. At The Kelsey, we believe developers excel at this by: Supplementing their designs with disability-forward practices; Infusing the resident experience with inclusive services; and Consistently creating partnerships with each person who walks through the front door. To further these goals, this article demonstrates how developers and affordable housing operators can better understand Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), which undoubtedly cultivates a well-rounded, supportive, and affirmative experience for every resident in the place they call home.

The Kelsey convenes the “Inclusive Houser Network,” an industry group of organizations developing or operating inclusive housing throughout the United States. This group currently includes sixteen organizations, one of which is Main Street, based in Rockville, Maryland. Main Street had been a longtime partner and collaborator with The Kelsey, including co-hosting the Building Inclusivity convening in 2021. Main Street opened their doors in August of 2020. In addition to their beautiful, bright and modern apartments, they launched a membership-based community in their vibrant 10,000 sq. ft. community space at the base of the building, open to those with and without disabilities, including residents and non-residents who join as members. Main Street offers up to 20+ weekly virtual and in-person programs delivered by a diverse array of community partners and centered around culture, movement, wellness, art, food and social opportunities. Programs are for everyone (residents and community members) to come as they are and choose how they participate, learn and connect. This guest author piece from Jillian Copeland, Main Street Founder, shares what meaningful programming looks like, lessons learned from resident experiences and how to support community-driven input and leadership.

Building a strong support and services delivery system within affordable and mixed income housing communities fosters inclusion and improves housing retention for both disabled and non-disabled residents, but the process can be challenging to conceptualize and fund. Reviewing key elements of The Kelsey’s approach to solving this problem through the Inclusion Concierge model can help you navigate the creation of your own supportive, inclusive housing community.

One in four Americans lives with a disability, yet it’s estimated that less than 6% of the national housing supply is designed to be accessible. As housing communities are created, they don’t often meet the diverse accessibility and inclusion needs of people with disabilities. While basic code and compliance measures require specific features, no holistic set of guidelines and standards define an implementable, progressive approach to design truly accessible and inclusive housing communities. Equipping designers, builders, and developers with a set of standards and a new framework for disability-forward design, that highlights accessibility and inclusion, can drastically improve housing quality and housing options for all people.

This overview walks you step-by-step through hosting your own inclusive community workshops for your housing project. It covers the type of workshops, who and how to invite participants, and accessibility of process and materials with tips and best practices throughout. This resource will give you practical insight into anchoring community workshops in inclusion and helping participants feel comfortable, welcomed and valued.